The effect of fine-scale topographic variability on model estimates of ecohydrologic responses to climate variability in California?s Sierra Nevada watersheds has not been adequately quantified and may be important for supporting reliable climate-impact assessments. This study tested the effect of digital elevation model (DEM) resolution on model accuracy and estimates...

Recently, wildfires and prescribed burning have become more frequent in conifer forests of western North America. Most studies examining the impacts of insects on trees with post-fire injury have focused on contributions to tree mortality. Few studies have examined fire-caused injuries to estimate the probability of attack by insects. Scant data quantifying...

Packera franciscana (Greene) W. A. Weber and A. Love is endemic to treeline and alpine habitats of the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona, USA and was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1983. Species abundance data are limited in scope, yet are critical for recovery of the species, especially in light of predictions of its future extinction...

Contemporary efforts to conserve populations and species often employ population viability analysis (PVA), a specific application of population modeling that estimates the effects of environmental and demographic processes on population growth rates. These models can also be used to estimate probabilities that a population will fall below a certain level. This...

Population size and density estimates have traditionally been acceptable ways to track species? response to changing environments; however, species' population centroid elevation has recently been an equally important metric. Packera franciscana (Greene) W.A. Weber and A. Love (Asteraceae; San Francisco Peaks ragwort) is a single mountain endemic plant found only...

Soil C and nutrient contents were estimated for eight watersheds in two sites (one high elevation, Bull, and one low elevation, Providence) in the Kings River Experimental Watersheds in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Eighty-seven quantitative pits were dug to measure soil bulk density and total rock content, while three replicate surface samples...

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collects sample plot data on all forest ownerships across the United States. FIA's primary objective is to determine the extent, condition, volume, growth, and use of trees on the Nation's forest land through a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the Nation's forest resources. The...

Presents maps of major fire episodes in the inland northwestern United States between 1540 and 1940 based on a compilation of fire history studies. Estimates annual acreage historically burned in this region and compares that with recent fire years.

Both the San Francisco Peaks ragwort, Packera franciscana and the La Sal daisy, Erigeron mancus are endemic to treeline/alpine habitats of the single mountain they inhabit. There is little habitat available for these plant species to migrate upward in a warming climate scenario. For P. franciscana, 2008 estimates indicate over 18,000 ramets in a 4 m band along a...

This indicator estimates population trends of selected species as a surrogate measure of genetic diversity. Decreases in genetic diversity as populations decline, particularly if associated with small populations, contribute to increased risk of extinction. This indicator also provides an important measure of general biodiversity, as changes in species abundances are a...

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to forest, range, aquatic, and urban forest ecosystem health. They contribute to the endangerment of native species and may lead to other severe ecological and financial consequences in our Nation?s wildlands and urban forests. Costs the public pays for damage, losses, and control efforts are estimated at more than $138...

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program collects sample plot data on all forest ownerships across the United States. FIA?s primary objective is to determine the extent, condition, volume, growth, and use of trees on the Nation?s forest land through a comprehensive inventory and analysis of the Nation?s forest resources. The FIA program...

This indicator measures the portion of a species' historical distribution that is currently occupied as a surrogate measure of genetic diversity. Based on data for 1,642 terrestrial animals associated with forests, most species (88 percent) were found to fully occupy their historic range - at least as measured by coarse state-level occurrence patterns. Of the 193...

This indicator monitors the number of native species that are associated with forest habitats. Because one of the more general sign of ecosystem stress is a reduction in the variety of organisms inhabiting a given locale, species counts are often used in assessing ecosystem wellbeing. Data on the distribution of 689 tree and 1,486 terrestrial animal species associated...

Previous studies in ponderosa pine forests have quantified the relationship between overstory stand characteristics and understory production using tree measurements such as basal area. We built on these past studies by evaluating the tradeoff between overstory and understory aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) in southwestern ponderosa pine forests at the...

Federal wildfire managers often want to know, over large landscapes, where wildfires are likely to occur and how intense they may be. To meet this need we developed a map that we call wildland fire potential (WFP) - a raster geospatial product that can help to inform evaluations of wildfire risk or prioritization of fuels management needs across very large spatial...

This report summarizes the third full annualized inventory of Indiana forests conducted from 2009 to 2013 by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the Northern Research Station in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. Indiana has nearly 4.9 million acres of forest land with an average of 454 trees per acre. Forest...